For All These Times Kid, For All These Times
by Lexie-Rae
Summary: A little NP piece set a few weeks after Sawyer's birth.


Peyton awoke slowly, to the light whimpers of her daughter from across the room. The new mother eased the crick out of her neck with a smile and a slight roll of her shoulders. As she stood from the chair, the blanket that Lucas had thrown over her when she was sleeping fell delicately to the floor. She kicked it away absently, in her needless rush to tend to her young daughter.

Baby Sawyer was quite contently blinking her way back into consciousness. She acted much like a deep thinker, even at only six weeks old; often happy to gaze around with her big blue eyes, taking in the world in the same way that Lucas did.

Peyton swept her arms into the crib and lifted the little girl into a bundle, "Hey Baby, Mama's here."

Peyton hugged her close to her chest and padded out of the homely nursery and through to the sitting room where she could hear the familiar sounds of a basketball game playing on the TV. She smiled, and rounded the couch.

"You're not my husband." She raised her eyebrows at the sight of a certain other Scott brother relaxing on the couch, and eating a bag of chips he'd helped himself to.

Nathan glanced up, grinning, "No, I'm not. You had your chance, right?"

She smiled slightly at the thought of the same words she'd said to him just before he'd married Haley. With the babe carefully cradled in her right arm, Peyton moved her free hand to her hip, "What are you doing here anyway?"

He threw her a look of mock-offence, "What? Can't I visit my favourite niece?"

"Nate, you're watching a rerun of a college basketball game." She squinted her eyes, "That _you _played in!"

Nathan shrugged, "You guys were sleeping, what was I supposed to do?"

Resigning herself to defeat, Peyton shook her head and moved towards the kitchen to get a pre-prepared bottle for Sawyer. "So I guess Lucas has gone out?"

"Yeah," Nathan called through a mouthful of chips, "Called me up to babysit."

Peyton sat the bottle down on the counter and turned to her brother-in-law who had followed her into the room. She probably would have slammed it down were it not for the fact that she still had a very placid Sawyer in her arms. "Just how old does Luke think I am?"

"Forever 16, maybe?" Nathan suggested brazenly.

"Shut up. " Peyton ordered, but he noted the hooded look in her eyes as though appreciating that he'd implied that she'd been hot at 16. He kind of wanted to assure her that it was still true but it didn't seem quite appropriate.

"What kind of moron would use you as a babysitter anyway? Aren't they supposed to be responsible and dependable?" Peyton queried, smiling mockingly. They both knew that excluding Lucas, there wasn't a man on the planet who would do more for her than Nathan. At times he was like the big brother that Derek never got the chance to be to her. She rolled her eyes at her husband, "He's so overprotective."

Nathan arched his brow, "He kind of has good reason, don't you think?"

In response she only shrugged, and Nathan laughed.

"Anyway," Peyton shook her curls and pointed a purposeful look at Nathan, "You've been here more than thirty seconds and you haven't even commented on how beautiful your niece is; we're kind of offended."

Nathan looked genuinely remorseful, "Well if you stopped hogging her maybe I'd catch a look of the cute little thing."

Peyton twisted her lips in indecision and looked down to her daughter, "What do you say baby girl? Can Uncle Nathan give you your bottle? Hmm, you want cuddles?"

"Stop with the teasing already," Nathan demanded, holding his arms out to take her, "You know she wants to hang out with her cool Uncle."

Peyton rolled her eyes but passed Sawyer into his waiting embrace. She returned to the warming bottle as Nathan rocked his niece gently.

"Hey, I'm your Uncle Nathan, you remember that though, right?" The building itches of a smile began to weave across his features, "So are your parents acting all crazy? Yeah, I figured. It's cool, I've got your back, you come see me whenever they're too much." He flicked his glance back to Peyton, as though expecting to see fire in her eyes but she was smiling softly.

"Go on," She urged.

"You're not mad?" He checked, to be sure.

"Are you kidding?" She frowned, "You're exactly the Uncle Nathan I wanted my daughter to have. And by the way, I so gave that speech to Jamie once upon a time."

"Oh you did, huh?" Nathan shook his head, "I'm glad you've got his back, Sawyer."

Peyton laughed at the slip in his words, "Hey, you can't call me Sawyer anymore, you know."

"Right. Way to confuse me." Nathan chuckled, "I was going to ask you about that, as it happens."

Peyton raised her eyebrows, passing Sawyer's bottle over to him as they took a seat at the table. "What were you going to ask? How to spell it?"

"Haha." He drawled back, "No, I mean why Sawyer? I thought you wanted Anna."

"I did." Peyton confirmed lightly, glancing over her daughter who was gulping down her milk greedily, her eyes widely taking in the conversation. "But it just didn't feel right. She's sassy, don't you think? I just saw her and knew she wasn't an Anna. She's a Sawyer."

Nathan nodded, "She's sassy, alright, she had to be though, seeing as she's your daughter, right?"

Peyton laughed largely, "I guess us Sawyers are sassy."

"Jeez, I'm gonna confuse you two forever, you know that? Because although she's Sawyer, you were Sawyer to me first." Nathan told her.

"I know." Peyton said softly, "I think that's kind of why I liked it for her; I think that through the years of you using it as a nickname, I grew to love it. You made it familiar and softer than a surname, you know?"

Nathan retreated, "Okay, I guess I could get used to it."

The pair watched for a couple of moments, transfixed. Sawyer, as though knowing that she was the centre of attention reached her arm up and settled her tiny hand over Nathan's as he held the bottle to her mouth.

"She is beautiful, Peyton, really." Nathan admitted.

She smiled back, "I know. She's going to give Lucas grey hairs, all the boys will be after her."

"Yeah, but don't you doubt that me and Luke will be after those boys." Nathan threatened softly, "And her cousin too; he'll look out for her."

When he gazed up he saw tears sparkling in Peyton's eyes. She shook her head to tell him to leave it but they both knew he wouldn't.

"Hey," He placed Sawyer's near empty bottle on the table and moved the little girl onto his chest so that he could burp her. Then he stood and wrapped an arm around Peyton's shoulder as she sniffed into a tissue. He watched on with concern as she cleared her expression and then laughed a little.

"Sorry." She shook her head. "It's just that when I was pregnant and we knew about the placenta previa, God, I was so terrified Nate, I didn't want to miss out on her. But there was one thing I knew would be okay, if I didn't…if I didn't make it through; I never doubted for _one _second that she wouldn't have her whole family there to look out for her. I knew it."

"Of course." Nathan said softly. "I'd go to the ends of the earth for your kid, Sawyer."

Peyton broke into a wide watery smile, and stood to brush her hand over Sawyer's head, "You have no idea what it means to hear you say that. We love you lots, Uncle Nate."

Nathan laughed lightly, "Uncle Nate."

"Well, who else would you be?" She smiled now, without the sight of tears hiding in the corners of her eyes.

Peyton watched as her daughter's eyelids battled against slumber, her never waning curiosity fighting not to lose out to sleep; she wanted to see more of her Uncle, but it was no good. Peyton carefully took Sawyer from him and walked her through to the nursery. She laid the little girl down gently and then moved the record player tucked into the corner of the room.

"You're not inflicted your loser rock on her?" Nathan grinned from his place in the doorway.

Peyton rolled her eyes, "We wouldn't expect you to understand, huh, Baby Girl?"

The dulcet tones of a band Nathan recognised to be The Cure began to fill the room. He looked on, amused, as Sawyer fell into a harmonious slumber. He just shook his head at the likeness between mother and daughter.

Nathan ran his eyes over the room, and all the intricate details Lucas had put into his daughter's haven as Peyton tidied some of the clutter away.

"Hey,"

Peyton turned at the sound of his voice, to see his finger on the spine of a familiar book.

"Where the Wild Things Are," She smiled nostalgically, "My Mom used to read it to me."

"Yeah," Nathan nodded, "My, well,"

"Your Dad too." She supplied.

He frowned slightly, "How'd you guess?"

"I didn't." Peyton admitted. She eyed Nathan carefully, as though registering how he may react to what she was about to say. "Okay, I have something to tell you."

The crease in his brow deepened as he looked on curiously, "What?"

"Come on," She grabbed the baby monitor and nodded towards the door, knowing that Nathan was itching to hear what she was hiding.

Curling up onto the couch, she sighed, "Okay, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you won't tell Luke."

He looked uncomfortable but he nodded all the same, "You're okay?"

"Yes, fine." She shook her head, "It's nothing like that. It's Dan actually."

Instantly Nathan's face hardened.

"I know," She assured, "but please hear me out."

He nodded quickly. He'd known Peyton a long time. Longer than he'd know his own brother and his wife even. He knew to trust her.

"Dan came by the house." She admitted and she saw Nathan clench his fists at the news. "Well, he was passing or something, I don't know. But I was on the porch with Sawyer."

"Peyton, what did he do?" Nathan asked, instantly suspicious.

She shook her head, "Nothing, not really. He came towards us and at first I was scared. But there was something in his eyes. He was soft, and it seemed like he was afraid of me, rather than the other way around. Like a beaten man who knew that to me, he was lower than dirt. And then he looked at her."

If it were possible, Nathan grew tenser still.

"He asked to hold her and I said no." Peyton sighed, thinking back over it and wondering again if she'd done the right thing. "But I thought to myself, he may be lower than dirt to me, but not to her. And he actually said that she's the only one in his world who didn't know what he'd done. He seemed desperate and I was soft. So I gave him that moment with her. And do you know what he said to her? _And now said Max, let the wild rumpus start_. And he said that she was beautiful."

Nathan looked to be in two minds. He didn't agree for one second that Dan should get anything that he wanted, but he'd suffered the same dilemma with Jamie. It seemed cruel to deny a child time with their grandparent. "Okay, what else?"

"That's it." Peyton said simply.

"I don't get it." Nathan told her, frowning deeply. He couldn't remember Dan doing anything that wasn't for his own gain.

Peyton sighed thoughtfully and ran a hand through her tousled curls. "I think he just wanted a good memory to take away with him. Because every other person he knows has told him how much they hate him. But Sawyer couldn't. I guess he did do it for himself mainly, but I think as much as it was a nice memory, it showed him what he'd done; the repercussions of his actions. Everything that he's lost out on. He'll never know her. That's all he'll ever have with her. It shouldn't have been that way. He shouldn't have made it that way."

"Okay," Nathan nodded in agreement, "But why did you give him that?"

Peyton took a moment to answer, "For Sawyer. I'm dreading the day that we have to tell her about Dan. Until we have to though, I can give her that story. I don't have to make up a lie to pretend that her Grandfather cared about her, I can tell her the truth, I think that's important."

"But you haven't told Luke." Nathan pointed out.

"No." Peyton answered in a low tone, "I know what it would do to him. He more than anyone has reason to hate Dan and I don't blame him, God, if I were to meet the guy who crashed into my Mom, I'm sure I wouldn't have the time for hearing anything _he _wanted. So maybe I'll tell Lucas I made it up, and I think he'll do that for Sawyer."

"So why did you tell me?" Nathan asked pensively, his tone wasn't accusing, but inquisitive. "I mean I hate the guy too."

She smiled sadly at him. She hated the fact that Nathan and Lucas had been given a father as cruel and unworthy as Dan Scott. "Because once upon a time I'd guess that you knew that man; the one that read bedtime stories. For all of his evil, you saw some moments of kindness in him. Lucas didn't."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, I remember stuff like that. Seems unreal doesn't it?"

Peyton shrugged, "I don't know. I gave up trying to understand people after I met Ellie. Everyone has the capability to surprise you."

Nathan smiled, "Yeah, I can believe that."

"I'm sorry." Peyton shook her curls, "I just wanted to tell someone, to feel like maybe what I did wasn't so bad."

He dismissed her worry quickly, "It wasn't bad at all. It was good. A good thing in his world of darkness."

She nodded relieved, "Well, that was dismal."

"Maybe I can change that" Nathan nudged Peyton's shoulder with his own, "You want to hear a secret?"

She flicked her glance back to him, "Always."

"I got called up." He revealed, grinning the broadest grin she could ever remember him wearing.

She was in his arms before he could think to catch her, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck and hugging him tightly to her. "Oh, Nathan!"

She pulled back, with eyes shining with joyous tears. She knew how hard he'd worked, how much he'd had to fight to get back on top and the journey it had taken between a father and son, causing more fractures than any kind of relationship should ever endure.

"I'm so proud of you," Her voice quivered with emotion. "I _knew _you'd get there, I knew it."

He smiled graciously, "It's a secret, okay, Sawyer?"

She nodded furiously, "You can trust me, Nate."

"I know." He assured earnestly as he reached a hand behind a cushion. He pulled out a bag and passed it to Peyton.

"What's this?" She demanded, already sinking her hand inside.

"Have a look." Nathan suggested, his eyes dancing in anticipation.

She pulled out a tiny item of blue and orange. Turning it over in her hands she realised it was a romper suit for Sawyer; a _Charlotte Bobcats _romper suit.

"You'll come and cheer me on?" Nathan asked.

Peyton laughed gently, still looking at the cute little outfit, "You just try and stop us."

Nathan looked up at her from beneath his quirked brow, "You always shouted loudest at games."

Peyton looked to him coyly, "I should hope so; I was your girlfriend."

"Yeah but you didn't have a very nice boyfriend." Nathan reminded her, "You didn't have to, but you were always behind me; every game."

She shrugged as though it was nothing.

Nathan brushed a hand through his hair, almost nervously, "Look, what I'm trying to say is thanks."

"Nathan, you don't have to _thank _me!" Peyton cried, outraged.

"I do." He argued, "I should probably be thanking you and apologising to you for the rest of my life, for how I was to you. I guess you were just the only one who knew what happened off the court; you knew about Dan and how I wasn't really the arrogant, rude, big-headed kid that everyone thought. And no matter how bad everything was, you'd always be there to support me…and you still are."

"You bet I am." Peyton assured, brushing away the thought that she may have done anything admirable.

Nathan smiled, "So thanks, Sawyer, because although I'm sure you could have happily killed me through school; I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have survived it without you,"

"Nate,"

He sighed, "Look, I'm nearly done, just let me compliment you for another minute. So what I want to say is, I'm in the NBA, and a part of that is down to you, okay?"

Peyton smiled, "Well as much as I want to tell you that I had nothing to do with it and it was all you; I know you won't let me. You've become such a great guy, Nate. The boy I knew in High School never would have thanked me."

"We turned out good, huh?" Nathan asked.

"Not bad at all." Peyton agreed, smiling. "You know I never believed in dreams coming true."

Nathan laughed heartily, "Of course you didn't, you were far too busy being angry at the world."

Peyton grabbed a cushion and launched it at Nathan's head. "Jeez, I was trying to be sentimental! You never change."

"Neither do you." He shot back, as Sawyer began to whimper through the baby monitor.

She stuck her tongue out as she rose from the couch to tend to her daughter.

When she returned with Sawyer cradled in her arms, Nathan was back to watching himself playing college ball. Peyton rolled her eyes and kicked him gently.

"Sawyer, look at your Uncle Nate and his humungous big head!" Peyton cackled as she rocked the baby in her arms, "You're so vain! So that you know, I'm going to teach her to tease you like I do."

"I don't doubt it." Nathan returned, "But don't think me and Sassy won't retaliate."

"Sassy?" Peyton asked, eyebrows arched.

He shrugged, "Well I can't be calling you both Sawyer now, can I…_Sawyer_?"


End file.
